January 14

On this date in 1997, a previously convicted felon, Yitzak Abba Marta, 21, was convicted of the murder of a black, gay transvestite, Alan Fitzgerald Walker, who was beaten and strangled in his home in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on November 9, 1996. Written in blood in Mr. Walker's home were the two-foot sized letters "KKK". Adam David Blackford was also convicted in the slaying and testified against Marta. Marta, who is Mexican and who was previously convicted of residential burglary and given a five-year prison sentence for that crime in 1993, was sentenced to life without parole on July 11, 1997 for murdering Mr. Walker. Two years after his murder conviction Marta was sentenced to 18 months on top of his life prison term for Second Degree Escape, according to online information provided by the Arkansas Department of Correction. 

In 2008 on this date in Queens in New York City, David C. Wood, 36, who lived at 76-52 263rd Street in the Floral Park section of the city at the time of his arrest, is alleged to have yelled racial slurs at a Sikh man, Chadha Bajeet (at times referred in the press as Baljeet Singh and Jabeet Chadha), 63, on 95th Avenue in the New Hyde Park section of Queens after Mr. Bajeet had parked his car and was walking into a place of worship. Charged with second-degree assault as a hate crime and aggravated harassment, Wood is said to have screamed, “Arab, go back to your country!” at Mr. Bajeet before allegedly punching him in the face, breaking Mr. Bajeet's nose and jaw. Wood was held on $10,000 bail. His next court appearance is January 21, 2009. If convicted, Mr. Wood could receive up to 15 years in prison.

On this date in 2009 in New York City, Mahoud Samed Almahadin, 18, who uses the alias Matt Connor and who claims to be part of an anti-Scientology group called Anonymous, was arrested and charged with burglary, criminal mischief and aggravated harassment as hate crimes. Almahadin is alleged to have entered the Church of Scientology at 227 West 46th Street in Manhattan with an accomplice and to have smeared pubic hair-laced petrolium jelly on a television and on bookshelves, and to have knocked books off their shelves on January 8, 2009. The incident was videotaped by Almahadin's accomplice who was not charged.